Wright back in business

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, FEB. 5. There was plenty of `strategy talk' - for almost two hours - between the five national selectors and coach John Wright at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) on Monday.

The selection of almost half a dozen players, who appear as certainties and on the borderline, in the India `A' team for the three-day game against Australia in Nagpur (Feb. 17- 19), pointed to a greater tactical input from Wright. Another significant decision taken at the meeting was to have the second preparatory camp for the Indian team in Mumbai from February 20, seven days before the start of the first Test at the Wankhede Stadium.

Obviously Wright wants the team selected for the first Test to function as one unit for seven full days and at one venue. The BCCI had originally decided to continue the camp in Chennai after the Hero Honda N.K.P. Salve Challenger Series. According to Mr. Jaywant Lele, BCCI Hon. Secretary, the first phase of the camp will be held in Chennai from February 7 to 11 after which the Challenger series will be played from February 12 to 15.

The Indian team (for the first Test) and the BCCI President's XI will be picked in Nagpur on February 19. Only the 14 players selected for the first Test will assemble in Mumbai for the second phase of the camp leading to the Test match. The players picked for the opening match of the tour will go to Nagpur after the Challenger series.

The selectors have packed the India `A' team with batsmen, including India openers Sadagopan Ramesh and Shiv Sundar Das, and also strong contenders for the No. 6 position, Hemang Badani, V.V.S. Laxman, Mohammad Kaif and Dinesh Mongia. Laxman has been named the captain of the side. ``There are so many other batsmen like Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Jacob Martin and Wasim Jaffer. They are likely to be picked in the BCCI President's XI. Jaffer and Bahutule, the Mumbai players in the India `A' team, will get a chance before the first Test,'' explained chairman Chandu Borde.

For the first time since October 1999 - although he played the two Tests against South Africa in 2000 - the selectors are seeing Baroda's wicketkeeper-batsmen Nayan Mongia as India's No. 1 wicketkeeper. Rahul Sanghvi will be the first left-hand spinner who will be on trial against the Australians, the other two spinners in the 14 are leg-spinner S. Balaji Rao and off- spinner Harbhajan Singh, who made his Test debut against Mark Taylor's Australians in 1998.

Gagan Khoda virtually picked himself in the team after his 300 against South Zone, but he is likely to be in the reserves along with Assam's Javed Zaman. The two new ball bowlers in the squad are Debasish Mohanty and Ashish Nehra. The selectors need to be complimented for picking a combination that will send the right message to the Australians. ``We have asked the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) to make a good wicket,'' said Mr. Lele.

India `A' team: V.V.S. Laxman (captain), S. Ramesh, S.S. Das, D. Mongia, H. Badani, M. Kaif, N. Mongia, A. Nehra, D. Mohanty, R. Sanghvi, Harbhajan Singh, S. Balaji Rao, G. Khoda, J. Zaman.

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